1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to candy vending machines and, more particularly, to vending machines that make candy tablets from candy powder.
2. Technical Background
Vending machines for selling various kinds of candies are well known in the art. These machines accept money and provide a packaged candy. The attraction of the vending machine to the customer is usually created by the appearance of the vending machine and the trademark/trade dress of the products contained therein. Cotton candy machines make cotton candy from powdered or granulated sugar at the point of sale. These type of machines have a strong customer attraction feature because the customer can view the cotton candy being manufactured. The various colors of the cotton candy being manufactured also create a strong customer attraction. However, these cotton candy machines manufacture the candy only under the supervision of a vendor. The customer requests a purchase of the cotton candy product from the vendor, the vendor operates the machine to produce the product, and then provides the product to the customer after receiving payment from the customer. Although this process of manufacturing candy from powder or granules at the point of sale has a strong customer attraction, the profitability of the machine is compromised by the need to have a person on site to manufacture and sell the product. It would be significantly more profitable if a candy could be manufactured from powder at a customer's request in an automatic vending machine, with the machine delivering the candy product to the customer after the customer transacted payment directly with the machine.